1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of martial arts. More particularly, this invention is related to a practice Samurai sword for simulating combat with a safe weapon closely emulating the size, weight and shape of a Samurai sword.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of martial arts, it is well know that many forms of combat use weapons of one fashion or another. Many of the martial arts use swords in hand-to-hand combat. However, it is also well known that many of the martial arts are practiced as an art form and not as a means for actual combat.
In order to reduce the danger associated with authentic weaponry, it is well-known to use practice weaponry. For example, a Shinai is used to simulate a Japanese sword. A Shinai, from the verb “shinau” meaning “to bend” or “to be flexible”, is a bamboo Kendo sword that allows a Kendoist to practice freely without fear of serious injury to his self or others. The modern Shinai is constructed of four staves of bamboo fitted together into a cylinder and held together by leather and a string.
The first Shinai were made of split bamboo and completely covered in a cloth or leather bag known as a Fukuro Shinai or bag Shinai. Shinai were of many different lengths and weights. Today, the Shinai is made from bamboo that is cut from the bottom of the culm, or stem, about four inches above ground. The stem is split vertically into six to eight pieces. The bamboo is then dried and four pieces are selected, straightened, and then planed and shaped into a Shinai. As will be understood, there are deliberate methods used to produce each Shinai.
In addition to the four bamboo slats, the Shinai includes a leather handgrip called the Tsuka-gawa covering the tsuka, or handle, a leather cup called the sakigawa on the tip, or kissaki, and a tsuba, or hand guard. The tsuba is fabricated from resin or leather and is held in place by a tsuba-dome, which is a rubber disk. The whole is kept together under tension by a string, called a tsuru, connecting the leather parts at each end, and by a leather binding, or Nakayui, around the Shinai marking out the Datotsubu (the valid strike area of the Shinai) or the Monouchi, which is the top part of the blade toward the tip, which is the most effective cutting area of the Shinai.
The Shinai allows full strength cuts to be made without the risk of injuring the training partner as would an authentic sword or a solid wooden dummy sword. The force of the blow is dissipated by the bamboo sections spreading out on contact. However, the force is often painful. A Shinai strike does not feel like a sword and a thrust can be dangerous, as there is no give in the blade.
In Kendo the solid wooden sword, or boken, is still used in the Kendo Kata, and more rarely in Waza, practice in order to gain a better understanding of how the technique works with a sword. However it is not used for free-sparring. The steel Katana, or alloy Iaito are used by high grades in Kata demonstrations and are the standard weapon used in Iaido.
Other devices have been developed to overcome these and similar problems associated with practice swords. Typical of the art are those devices disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Patent No.Inventor(s)Issue Date5,295,926T. TanabeMar. 22, 19945,324,227C. Yuh-ChingJun. 28, 19945,598,596M. R. Jones et al.Feb. 4, 19975,630,998K. L. ParsonsMay 20, 19976,036,602D. G. AbbottMar. 14, 20006,497,619D. D. Dowdy et al.Dec. 24, 2002
Of these patents, Tanabe ('926) discloses a soft sword. The '926 device includes a core rod which comprises a short flexible center core having a grip and a guard constructed in one body and a soft core mounted coaxially around said flexible center core. A bag is disposed on the core rod by engaging at both ends of the core rod. A grip tape is wrapped onto the grip and over the bag. The '926 device is configured such that neither participants nor spectators will be injured during a match, whether by a strike using the device or by a portion of the device becoming dislodged from the device and being flung through the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,227, issued to C. Yuh-Ching, discloses a toy hitting rod. The '227 device includes a main hitting rod made of resilient material and formed with a longitudinal hole at the center. Two aligned holes are formed at one end thereof. An inner hitting rod is fabricated from resilient material and inserted into the longitudinal hole of the main hitting rod. A spring is sleeved on one end of the inner hitting rod. A hand grip is fabricated from a hard material and defines a recess for grasping. The grip has a connecting rod having a through hole in alignment with the aligned holes of the main hitting rod. The connecting rod defines two protuberances engageable with the other end of the spring. The '227 device is configured for safe use as a “weapon” in hand-to-hand combat. Upon impact, the main hitting rod is deformed to reduce the impact. After impact, the resiliency of the main hitting rod causes the device to return to its original state.
Jones et al., in the '596 patent, disclose a club shaped device having a removable cover. The cover encloses a substantial portion of the club and is fastened thereto. In one embodiment, the '596 device is composed of a head and a handle both constructed from a resilient material, such as dense foam rubber. The handle has a hollow interior area which has an opening at its bottom. The edges of the removable covering are placed into the opening and a removable plug is inserted into the opening to steadfastly hold the edges of the cover against the inner wall of the handle. In one embodiment, the '596 device is used as a soft club novelty item without causing injury to items struck by the club.
In his '998 patent, Parsons discloses a mock training baton including a flexible rod covered by a cushioning material secured to the rod by a removable cover. The '998 device may include a protective resilient disk at the ends of the rod and a means for securing the baton to the belt of trainee. The diameter, configuration and material of the handle of the mock training baton are identical to those of the handle of the actual standard issue baton. The mock baton may include a resilient ring for securing the cover to the baton and a fixed collar for anchoring the resilient disk in place.
Abbot, in the '602 patent, discloses a sparring instrument which is described as allowing for safe, pain free, full contact training. The sparring instrument comprises a handle and a striking portion having a bushing armature mounted thereto. The bushing armature comprises a tip rod telescopically received within a plurality of telescopically mounted cylinders. The bushing armature is covered by a sheath extending beyond the tip rod. The sheath is covered by a soft, flexible material to its end. The sheath is made of a soft, resilient material whereby the sheath extends from the end of the soft, flexible material when the instrument is bent.
Finally, Dowdy et al., in their '619 patent, disclose A scoring system is disclosed which allows for safe, accurate scoring during simulated combat situations. The scoring system includes a simulated striking apparatus having a marking means to safely deliver an erasable marking agent when the striking apparatus contacts an opponent. The striking sections of the apparatus are buffered by a soft, resilient material to reduce the impact from a striking type blow.